An empowering reflection on the many things we are and the ways we relate to the world. (Ages 4-8)

Poet Bob Raczka's You are a Story highlights all of the nuance and potential of a growing person's identity, delighting in the things that make us special and connect us to others. Text and illustrations replete with inventive imagery and appealing metaphors show how we all live as individuals and citizens of the world.

Finn is in a bad mood, so his grandfather takes him on a walk in the forest, and tells him about all the things that are beneath the surface of plants and animals--and even people. (Ages 4-8)

Finn is in a horrible mood and doesn't want to talk about it. After some persuading, though, he agrees to go for a hike with Grandpa. Throughout their forest walk, they see many different things: big, strong trees with networks of roots growing underneath, still water with schools of fish swimming below, and an expectant bird with eggs nestled under her. It's when the pair pass fellow hikers that Finn realizes that people, just like the elements of nature, are more than they appear. Grandpa explains that sometimes beneath a person who seems like they won't understand what you're feeling, is someone feeling the exact same way. 

This sweet and tender picture book celebrates our similarities, differences, and that there's always more under the surface of what we can see.